Short for JavaScript Object Notation, JSON is a lightweight data-interchange format that is easy for humans to read and write, and for machines to parse and generate. JSON is based on the object notation of the JavaScript language. However, it does not require JavaScript to read or write because it is a text format that is language independent. JSON notation contains these basic elements:

Objects: Objects begin and end with curly braces ({}).

Object Members: Members consist of strings and values, separated by colon (:). Members are separated by commas.

Arrays: Arrays begin and end with braces and contain values. Values are separated by commas.

Values: A value can be a string, a number, an object, an array, or the literals true, false or null.

Strings: Strings are surrounded by double quotes and contain Unicode characters or common backslash escapes.